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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · key · object · spring · capital · prune · racket · field

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. prune — to trim
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. spring — of water
  9. field — for sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. prune — to trim
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a skill
  15. key — for a lock
  16. capital — a city
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. spring — the season
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. object — a thing
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com